---

Industrial Design

Types of Degrees Industrial Design Majors Are Earning

Those studying Industrial Design may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	54
Bachelor’s Degree	1,168
Master’s Degree	173

What Industrial Design Majors Need to Know

Studies in Industrial Design develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Industrial Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Industrial Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Industrial Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Industrial Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Originality — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Industrial Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Industrial Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
JavaScript	Web platform development software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	✓
Cascading style sheets CSS	Web platform development software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
QuarkXPress	Desktop publishing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Industrial Design graduates include:

• Theater Professor
• Woodshop Instructor
• Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Dancing Teacher
• Theater Teacher
• Art Instructor
• Music Educator
• Visual Arts Instructor
• Performing Arts Instructor
• Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor
• Voice Professor
• Arts and Crafts Instructor
• Graphic Design Professor
• Piano Performance Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Industrial Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.9%
Master’s degree	33.1%
Doctoral degree	19.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.4%
Some college courses	4.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Industrial Design?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48.3% women and 51.7% men among Industrial Design graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	674	48.3%
Men	721	51.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Industrial Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	749	53.7%
Asian	143	10.3%
Hispanic or Latino	170	12.2%
Black or African American	34	2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	63	4.5%
Race Unknown	47	3.4%
International Students	188	13.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Industrial Design Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Industrial Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,054
4 years	$41,389
5 years	$46,982

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,982 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Industrial Design Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Industrial Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	1
Bachelor’s	2	1
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Industrial Design Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Industrial Design graduates earn a median of $41,389 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Design and Applied Arts	50.04
Commercial and Advertising Art	50.0402
Commercial Photography	50.0406
Design and Applied Arts, Other	50.0499
Design and Visual Communications, General	50.0401
Fashion/Apparel Design	50.0407
Game and Interactive Media Design	50.0411
Graphic Design	50.0409
Illustration	50.0410
Interior Design	50.0408
Digital Arts	50.0102
Acting	50.0506

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.